Autumn is here!

I am seasonally challanged. But it is cool here now, actually it is cold by southern standards. I've been in my wind cheater for 2 days now. I know, I know by your hardy northern standards, 50F in the morning is still a balmy day. But for me it is coooold.


So, I unloaded my kiln this morning and I noticed that all but one thing I had in there was in autumn colours. Just one small teal button in a decidedly deep, autumn friendly colour. It is official, it is autumn! Well, until we get another streak of 90F weather. Which I am sure is just around the corner.

This is a little sampling of a few of the goodies that came out. See? Autumn, it is, all decidedly an autumn pallete.

And just in the spirit of total honesty and complete disclosure. Here is an OOOOps. Now I know that these Christmas ornaments need to be hung on larger rods. That's why I made them last year. But lo and behold, I put them on regular rods and see those sagging hangers? Well this is not good. Seven went in, 5 are salvagable, and 2 are glued together like siamese twins. Oh well, at least Christmas is a few months off. I've still got time to enjoy the lovely cool autumn. My favourite season of all.

Cristi, 2 If By Sea

My friend, Cristi, posted these 2 pieces a little while ago. But I just could not resist writing my own little bit about them. The daisy pendant is a pendant. I made it as a pendant. I could see it as a pendant. But I did not see it with the lovely play of green leafy beads and deep purple beads that Cristi put into the necklace. And if you look really closely the beading wire has got little teeny beads on it where it connects to the chain. Cristis’ attention to detail is one of things I like most about her work. It is these little details that make her work so delightful.

And the bracelet, aaahhhh, this is the first time I’ve seen one of my buttons used in a clasp. I especially like the shape and colour of the wood beads against the pattern in the button. This is, by the way, one of my personal favorite button styles. It’s one of the first patterns that I developed when I started focusing more on texture in my work. I just love the way Cristi has used the button. For me it has always been just a button. But Cristi has elevated it beyond its original rather utilitarian design.

Cristi’s jewelry has this wonderful sea breeze feel to it. It is elegant and crisp at the same time. Much like waves on the beach. I am always thrilled to see the vision others have for my components. It inspires me to think beyond the confines of my own little world.

You can follow Cristi’s blog to see more work in progress or you can go straight to her Etsy shop, 2ifBySea to purchase these lovelies.

Thanks, Cristi! These are beautiful.

LeAnn

Hot out of the kiln

Well not really hot but brand new! These two are couple of the things that came out of the William Morris design excursion last week. I'm not entirely sure that I've actually accomplished an ancanthus leaf feel to these.

The pendant is about 1.5 inches in diameter and matches the small tablet shaped connector beads. They are glazed front and back so should be lovely and smooth against bare skin.

Now that I've had a couple of days to get used to them I'm starting to like them. As usual when things first come out of the kiln, I'm pretty ambivalent. I think it's the anticlimatic feeling that comes with competing a process.

I've got a few other designs I've been working on but as luck would have it somebody left the camera on and it has no juice. I wonder just who could have done that?

The Kiln is Firing

The kiln is firing and the kiln god sits watching the magik. Well maybe it is not magik, maybe it is just chemistry. And maybe it is not really a kiln god so much as a kiln gargoyle. He used to have 2 ears. In fact he still has 2 ears but one fell off on our move back to the United States from Australia. Someday the ear will be attached again. I did not make the kiln god/gargoyle. My son made him for me when he was about 15 years old. Sometimes, I think he should be the one doing ceramics. Clever boy!

The kiln god always sits on my kiln in gaurd of the works inside. Pure superstition.

So in this kiln is a whole lot of new things. New glazes, new combinations of glazes. Lots of blues, greens, and blue greens (I think). I never know what will come out. I sometimes wonder why I do all these new things on an entire kiln load. I've got new things in there. Not just buttons, some pendants and linky things in new designs.

So stay tuned...the kiln will open tomorrow...I'll post....But I may or may not post the failures. My ego you know.

Cheers, LeAnn